The book was originally published in the waning days of D&D 3.5 and went on to provide inspiration for Paizo’s monstrous creations in Pathfinder. I never got the book, but from what I’ve read one of its major claims to fame was its extensive (100+!) collection of templates for transforming regular monsters into even more badass versions.

As of this posting, the Kickstarter has 36 hours to go. In addition to being funded, it’s hit three of its stretch goals:

$25,000 New cover art

$30,000 16 pages of new content

$37,500 The books get printed in full color

It looks like its fourth goal — $45,000 All interior art redone in full color — looks like a strong possibility. The final goal — $50,000 16 pages of additional content — might be harder but it you never know how many people a Kickstarter is going to pick up in its final surge.

I backed it at the $20 “E-Beast” level, which yields a copy of the Advanced Bestiary PDF. I considered getting the print version, but I don’t know what my group will be playing in May 2014 when this book drops. If I’m running a Pathfinder, I’ll probably pick it up because I love monster books. If not, the PDF’s good enough for light reading and quick reference for any one shots I put together. The 100+ templates really appeals to me; I don’t think I used templates enough in my last Pathfinder campaign, and they can be a great way to play with player expectations (particularly those who’ve already memorized the monster stats in three different editions.

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About Nuketown

Nuketown is a speculative fiction website that's been published continuously since 1996.

It's publishing focus is articles, reviews and editorials about science fiction, fantasy, and horror with heroic or libertarian overtones. It covers a variety of topics within the speculative fiction genre, including games, movies, soundtracks, books, and websites.